How the ETA regulates e-commerce in Australia
When you sign a contract using an electronic signature, click 'I accept' on online T&Cs, or send an important document by email – how can you be sure that what you are doing is legally valid?
The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth)...More
The Australian Government is carrying out a targeted review of modern slavery offences in Divisions 270 and 271 of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) (the Criminal Code).
This initiative recognises strong criminal justice responses are important to combat modern slavery, ensuring Australia's...More
Copyright, as a type of property founded on a person's creative skill and labour, protects the original form or way an idea or information is expressed (but not the idea or information itself). Some common forms of copyright material include:
writing
movies and TV shows
visual...More
The Australian Government is considering the merits and design of a federal judicial commission that could independently examine and deal with complaints made to it about federal judges. This scoping work was announced by the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, on 25 October 2022 in the...More
The Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) commenced on 1 January 2019 and complements Australia’s comprehensive criminal justice response to modern slavery.
The Act was established through extensive consultations with the Australian business community and civil society. Under the Act, large...More
You can contribute to a shared national understanding of coercive control by providing your feedback on the Consultation Draft of the National Principles to Address Coercive Control using the survey link below.
Safety information
This consultation is about family and domestic violence,...More
The Federal Court of Australia Amendment (Extending Criminal Jurisdiction and Other Measures) Bill (the Bill) supports the expansion of the Federal Court of Australia's (Federal Court's) jurisdiction in relation to corporate crime.
Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Bill confers jurisdiction on the...More
The Australian Government’s first Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap included an announcement to provide funding for culturally safe and appropriate family dispute resolution for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Family dispute resolution ...More
View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.
In 2018, the Government commissioned the National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces, conducted by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins. The product of this inquiry – the...More
We have now published submissions for this consultation.
In January 2021, the Australian Government undertook public consultation on possible changes to the bankruptcy system, to inform its ongoing response to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of this consultation,...More
Review of confidentiality protections for people engaging with royal commissions
We have conducted a review of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) to examine any issues or impediments to people coming forward and sharing sensitive information with a royal commission.
We developed...More
The Australian Government is committed to keeping Australians safe from online harm, including the harmful impacts of defamatory online comments posted anonymously.
On 1 December 2021, the Australian Government released an exposure draft of the Social Media (Anti-Trolling) Bill 2021,...More
We have now published submissions for this consultation.
As part of our review of the Privacy Act 1988, this discussion paper considered feedback on the Issues Paper and seeks further feedback on potential changes to the Act.
The Discussion Paper covers a broad range of topics,...More
We have now published submissions for this consultation.
Family report writers play an essential role in family law parenting matters before the family law courts.
Family report writers are primarily from the professions of social work, psychology or psychiatry. They prepare reports...More
We have now published submissions for this consultation.
The Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Online Privacy and Other Measures) Bill 2021 (the Online Privacy Bill) will give effect to the Australian Government's commitment to strengthen the Privacy Act 1988. It enables the...More
Submissions for this review have now been published.
As part of the review of the Legislation Act 2003 , this discussion paper was designed to assist stakeholders to provide feedback and submissions to the review by providing background information and posing questions.
The Review...More
We currently fund 64 Children's Contact Services (CCS) across Australia for families who are unable to safely manage arrangements for the contact and changeover of their children. In the May 2021 Budget, the Australian Government announced that it would increase funding for CCS, including funding...More